What inspired the music selection for the mix? 

I’ve been wanting to do a mix full of mostly ambient tunes for a while because it’s a type of music I make quite a lot, as well as playing on my Balamii show all the time. It’s a mix for the lazy Sunday afternoons or the small hours of the morning. I’ve also worked in retail as well and know how hectic shops can get, so calming music can be a blessing if you’re in a busy shop and I thought it’d be right to do it for Goodhood. 

 

Name three records you couldn’t live without? 

This is a hard one as it’s always changing. I’d definitely say Every Day by The Cinematic Orchestra. It pretty much suits whatever mood i’m in and never ever bores me, as well as being one of those albums that inspired me to start making music. I’ve been rinsing the new Noname album recently too, suits the warmer weather and the longer days so whenever I get a chance i’ll sit in the sun (in the 14 degree heat pretending I’m in the South of France) and listen to that. Last one would probably be There Is No Right Time by Youandewan. It’s a really varied album with a range of textures in it and I think it’s an amazing example of a dance music artist who’s successfully released a full body of work, which is a really hard thing to do in the age of singles/EPs dominating the dance music scene.  

 

What other musicians/DJ's keep you inspired? 

There’s loads of big names that have continued to inspire me throughout the years but I think the people inspiring me the most at the moment are the people and friends around me. I’m super lucky to be surrounded by total dons who are good friends as well as being amazing selectors. The Chaos In The CBD boys are killing it right now, Shy One is a DJ who I always mention whenever I get asked about good DJs and then Deborah Ipkel, Sean OD, Born Cheating, HNRO are all dope DJs and producers who are doing their own thing at the moment and i’m super excited for seeing what they get up to over the next year. I would list off a whole bunch of names but they basically all just play on Balamii so go and have a listen to their shows and see for yourselves! 

 

If you could go back to one time in music history, what would it be?

I’m really fascinated by the 80s/90s in America. It was a really shit time for a lot of reasons, but also one in which we owe a lot to in terms of dance music culture today, and also one that I don’t feel gets credited enough. It was such a fertile time that laid the fundamentals for dance music so it’d be cool to be there and observe what was going on firsthand. I’m reading books by Tim Lawrence at the moment about it all, so i’d suggest going to check his stuff if it’s something you might find interesting. 

 

Best record shop in London?

I worked at Phonica for a year so i’ll say there just because I know that if there’s a dance 12” you’re after, they’ll have it (and about 5 other records you didn’t know you needed until you went in). I like spaces in which I can feel comfortable to spend as long as I like listening to whatever I want, so YAM in Peckham is dope for that because it’s so friendly and Theo and Tom in there really know their stuff and its a great place for digging. LNCC in Dalston is cool too. Not the biggest selection but decent prices and well curated. Plus it’s usually not that busy and they have a separate room for records with it’s own sound system so you can chill on your own and take your time. And it's like walking into a spaceship or something which is dope. 

 

What does 2017 hold for you?

For me 2017 is just going to be about writing and releasing more music. I’ve got a release coming in a couple of months (stay tuned for details) and hopefully i’ll have another record sorted before the end of the year. But i’m pretty picky about who I go with so it’s more of a ‘when the time is right’ sort of thing. I’m still at uni too so I should probably focus on that as much as I can. I’m working on a live set-up at the moment with some friends, but it’s all early stages and we’ve still got a lot to work out - but that’s really fun and different to making stuff on a computer and i’m excited to develop it. I’m also super excited to be involved with the charity-based promoter Dance For Refuge too because we’ve got some sick things coming up and the past couple of months have been pretty big for us, so looking forward to seeing where that goes. Going to Croatia for Dimensions is going to be dope. Pretty much gunna be the whole of SE London by the beach listening to great music (big up to Andy too for getting me involved on the Dimensions DJ Directory - got mad love for that). Balamii are also doing mad things which will be announced soon so keep your eyes peeled..

 

Tracklist:

Gigi Masin - Waterland

Thomas Ragsdale - Time To Go

Masayoshi Fujita & Jan Jelinek - Vague Yet

Z Lovecraft - Glimmer

Gaussian Curve - Red Light

Doppelate - Bobo's Garden

Shinichi Atobe - Ship-Scope

Asa Chang & Junray - Hana

Laraaji - Kalimba

Midori Takada - Crossing

Jon Sable - Three Sick Weeks (Beatless Version)

Phil Stroud - Flow

Will Lister - By Day

Aquarium - Rainy Night In Shibuya

Vermont - Sharav